Plugs First Time
 

Just a really nice day casting a plug for trout. Put on the Grateful Dead and remembered who I was. The job sucks. Never have cast plugs for them during winter before, and I see it works. I fished a hole I know is about eight feet deep, because I used to swim there, and I got hit when I let the plug pause & sink. Another spot looked really nice with its black belly. The plug swam in about four feet of water getting close to me when when I saw the wild brown--10 or 11 inches--turn on it, then felt the hit.

Missed both fish but there's life out there!

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Twitch twitch pause and play with the speed of the plug. You’ll get em for sure! If all else fails drift a good old night crawler! :D

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Usually my go to is a black marabou jig but ive been adding in plugs, inline spinners, and a few other random things to put under a bobber.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Worm fish dont count!!😜

Re: Plugs First Time
 

you mean to quote ed? You wont find me using crawlers :cool: too yucky! EW! squirmy :D but my dad... all he uses when we go out for stocked trout. He wont go out unless I pick up crawlers on the way. He makes up for using 2 lb test and a 5 foot rod.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

In the spring, I stock up on salmon eggs & use a 3 1/2 foot microlight rod, tiny spinning reel, and two-pound test, but recent years, I've been using one-pound test. It's fun. They don't always hit the same way & that's half the challenge, hooking up. And if you hook a breeder--wow!

Back when they stocked browns, I used the same tiny one-inch Rapala I used today, but on an ultra-light. Or so called. An ultra-light is not true to the word, not when you compare a microlight.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Just press down the barbs on those what, 2 or 3 treble hooks.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

One little treble. Thanks for telling me. Because I always think of it but fail to do it. Next time, I hope I remember pliers. When I think of it--I'll think of you. So maybe I'll do it.

Maybe I should think of the law too! They do have Trout Stocked/Wild Brown managed signs up. Maybe that means you have to press the bards. But as far as I know, bait is allowed. Always was allowed before. I have no reason to assume it's not, except that's the first time I saw "Wild Brown Trout Managed" signs up. You'd think if they were completely serous about that, they'd quit stocking the stream.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Theres no gear restrictions on "Trout-Stocked Streams — Wild Brown Trout Managed"

They only limit the # of brown trout being kept.
Why they stock where there's wild trout? Likely because these streams are already popular for anglers looking for stocked fish, removing them would probably piss off more ppl than benefit the few that like wild trout populations.

They did however removed stockings from less-popular streams with wild browns.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Question on pinching the barbs on treb hooks. Do you pinch all three barbs down or just two? The concept as I understand it is if you don't pinch the barbs and you break off a fish and one hook is lodged in a lower jaw and one in the upper jaw, the fish won't be able to eat and will die. If you leave only one barb intact and pinch the other two that should never happen plus you'll have a better chance of landing that trophy fish once you hook it if you have the non-pinched barb in its jaw. If you break off, that single barbed hook will eventually rust or fall out and I would think would cause little harm if any to the fish. I've never pinched all three and in many cases have gone to a single hook for the same reason but curious what people's thoughts are on the subject.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

Ive seen completely barbless treble hooks still get stuck in fish. Two and even all three hook points can lodge into the corner of the mouth awkwardly and be pretty difficult to remove.

I just pinch all three down; the point is to not worry about barbs at all, like if one gets caught inside me.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

It is a good thing they quit stocking the less popular streams, even though I felt the loss of stocked rainbows in the Hakihokake deeply, and I imagine other anglers might have felt similarly about other streams. I was just saying if they were completely serious about wild brown management, they would cease stocking, but I take your point. "Completely" serious can be viewed as taking the popularity of the stocking program to mind, also. (It's not as if I am naive and actually believe they would stop stocking the stream I fished. I just think that in an ideal world, they might; this world certainly is not that.)

Re: Plugs First Time
 

After I answered Andy yesterday, I thought it might have been mindful of me to have actually read thoroughly the notice about wild browns I mentioned. I guess the job gets me so thoroughly jaded, that I didn't want to stop and take any more notice than the big print. (Certainly not to say I failed to pay attention to nature and the fishing.)

Re: Plugs First Time
 

It’s all about fish handling. I caught that big Rainbow 3 times in 4 years. I’ve caught it twice on plugs with no barbs pushed down and once on a jig. Others here have caught that fish and it’s still alive. I say plug away where it’s available. Gotta be careful which line you cross because certain rivers have 1 too many regulations in my opinion. Although I oppose to some of them I will still follow them. There’s theories, opinions and rules! I’m all for the rules even if they suck 50% of the time. Plug away, plug away! The jig is always good if your not sure where the invisible boundary line is........:D

Re: Plugs First Time
 

You sold me on the plugs, Eddie, and I thank you for that. A very enjoyable time.

Re: Plugs First Time
 

The plug is the drug :D